Take those all-important critical-thinking skills that students must now acquire to cope in the
21st century. Were our leaders exercising good skills when they made cutting income taxes their
priority, even though there’s little consensus that such cuts create jobs? Indeed, corporations
rank tax rates lower in importance when selecting sites than other factors, including a skilled and
educated work force (read: good schools).

What about “value added” — measuring educational success by showing a year’s growth? Did
legislators show a biennium’s growth in achieving a “thorough and efficient system of common
schools” throughout the state, as our constitution requires? The Ohio Supreme Court made crystal
clear that the establishment, organization and maintenance of public education are the state's
responsibility.

A grasp of history? Lawmakers didn’t seem to be aware that after income taxes were substantially
increased in 1983, Ohio had healthy job growth — 118,000 new jobs a year for 6 years. Or
that the Ohio Supreme Court ruled our school-funding system unconstitutional because of our
over-reliance on property taxes. That’s still the case.

Also unheeded was the philosopher Santayana’s warning, “Those who do not learn from history are
condemned to repeat it.” After Senate Bill 5’s attack on collective bargaining was thoroughly
squashed in a referendum, increasing what homeowners will pay on future school levies, making them
more difficult to pass, just might be viewed as another attempt to weaken unions. The Senate
president even announced, “If you don’t like property taxes, don’t vote for them. I don’t.”

Given the emphasis on enticing companies here, more homework would have shown that Ohio ranks
poorly on the property-tax component of the Business Tax Climate Index — 34th out of 50 states.
Maybe the dog ate the part about Ohio ranking 12th highest on the percent of home value that
homeowners pay and that Franklin County homeowners already pay a higher percentage of our income in
property taxes than do residents of most other 1,833 U.S. counties, ranking 268th.

And where is the logic in ending inheritance taxes, supposedly to keep the elderly in Ohio, then
increasing their future property taxes, forcing some out? Was anyone assigned to look at what other
states do? Some freeze the assessed value of property once owners reach a certain age; others defer
taxes until homeowners sell or die and 32 states set a maximum percentage of income that owners
have to pay. Oh, but wait, if the object is to force local governments to cut spending, reducing
access to funds does indicate those higher-order thinking skills.

Improved math skills? Senior citizens represent roughly 15 percent of Ohio residents (read:
voters). Aren’t there many more of them than there are small-business owners who also pay property
taxes and readily admit that their tax cuts will not fund even one job?

If the concern is that education costs too much for the results we get, and international
comparisons seem to support that, why put the onus on local districts? Was anyone assigned to study
what might be done at the state level? What efficiencies of scale could be had? Did anyone look at
the cost-benefit analyses that Washington state has done? The statewide salary scale Hawaii
has?

Some legislators had trouble understanding the assignment, becoming concerned about unborn
babies and irate about Planned Parenthood — but not about parents’ health or increased district
costs related to the physical, mental and emotional problems of unplanned children after they hit
the school door, because they refused to support the governor’s plan to expand Medicaid.

Areas of strength? Allocating millions more for pre-school education, where return on investment
is greater than giving business tax breaks, finally requiring that gifted students be served and
allowing districts to count hours rather than days to more flexibly deal with bad weather (also
permitting four-day weeks used in some states to achieve cost savings without lowering student
achievement). Also, the healthy increase in school funding, even though districts are not receiving
as much as they did 4 years ago or keeping up with inflation.

While reports differ and grades may change, the November 2014 test and future levies will be
strictly pass/fail and permanent. That’s when voters will be called upon to exercise their
critical-thinking skills.

Pat Smith is a former teacher, president of the Worthington and state boards of education,
educational policy adviser to Ohio’s Office of Budget and Management and U.S. Department of
Education grant reviewer.